Nowadays, it seems fashionable in popular media to extol megafauna in all forms, and the result is that lesser creatures belonging to little-known biomes have received scant attention. Yet these creatures, perfectly adapted to the micro-habitats they occupy, are equally, if not more fascinating than tigers, elephants, rhinos and their ilk.

The importance of the wealth of fauna in this region was not lost on the French naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries. These intrepid Frenchmen, although amateurs by modern standards, collected a number of holotypes and described hitherto unknown species in the scientific literature of their day. Modern taxonomy may have left these pioneers far behind, but who can forget their contribution to science? For example, the vulture Sarcogyps calvus was first described by Scopoli in 1786 as the Pondicherry vulture 'Vulture calvus, from a specimen collected in this area (sadly the species is now locally extinct). Many other species (not only pertaining to fauna) also bear names related to this region.

Although seemingly insignificant, some of these creatures have come into their own over the last few years, at least in the minds of interested individuals concerned about the loss of bio-diversity in the region. Part of this awakening stems from recent research, but it also originates from public awareness and interest. A few years is insufficient to fully investigate and document the biota of this region or understand the dynamics of the diverse ecosystems in existence here, but it is heartening that progress is being made and a picture is emerging. This fragile area of biotic richness, little known to the outside world and overshadowed by the dramatic flora and fauna found elsewhere on the subcontinent, deserves all the attention it can attract.

The existence of many species (for example soil invertebrates) has remained unknown to science, hence their conservation priorities have yet to be determined ('Data Deficient' is the most dubious category of all IUCN Red List categories), and entire species and their habitats could be lost before their existence or plight is even known. There may be a lesson for us in the rise and fall of the dinosaurs: let one or more of the present dangers threatening life on earth pass beyond a certain limit, and mankind could easily find itself in the same shoes as all other species struggling for survival after having briefly dominated life on earth.

The list of species currently present in the area is only the beginning of surveys and analysis planned for the future. It is important to mention that no vertebrates are endemic to this region or this type of forest. In fact most species seem to have evolved under more mesic conditions than those of the TDEF, but inhabit sites within it which provide favourable living conditions. Apparently they have not developed special physiological mechanisms of adaptation to xeric conditions, as have the fauna of other semi-arid areas of the world. Although it has been repeatedly stated that numbers are declining and some species are threatened due to habitat modification and hunting, this concept has not been well documented.